Keynote Speaker: Daniel Kemmis, Director of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West and former Mayor of Missoula, Montana. Recognized by the Utne Reader in 1995 as one of its “100 Visionaries.” Mr. Kemmis is a national leader in the community building and civic revitalization movement. Author of two books, Community and the Politics of Place and The Good City and the Good Life, offer profound insights into what defines community and what it means to be a citizen.

Workshops: 41 Workshops

Attendance: 316

Sponsors: City of Madison and Isthmus 2020 Committee

Mayor: Paul Soglin

1998

Strong Neighborhoods, Strong City Conference

When: October 3, 1998

Where: Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center

Keynote Speakers: John McKnight, Director of Community Studies of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University and co-author of Building Communities from the Inside Out. Rosita De La Rosa, a neighborhood organizer in Chicago’s Logan Square, who uses the asset-based model in her work with residents with disabilities.

Keynote Speakers: Greg Watson, Executive Director of Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI), Roxbury, Massachusetts. Founded in 1984 to help revitalize the economically disenfranchised Dudley Street area of Boston, DSNI is the only community-based nonprofit in the country ever to be granted eminent domain authority over its abandoned parcels of land. DSNI is a powerful example of what residents can accomplish when they share a vision for their neighborhoods and work together to achieve it.

John McKnight, co-author of Building Communities from the Inside Out and co-directory of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute, Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. McKnight is a preeminent teacher on how to address neighborhood issues by focusing on community strengths rather than problems. His asset-based approach to community development has profoundly changed the way neighbored, community organizations, and governmental agencies around the country are tackling changes they face.

NUSA Neighborhood of the Year Award Winners: Northside Planning Council received first place in the Multi-Neighborhood Project Partnership Category for “Warner Park Center” and Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association received second place in the Social-Single Neighborhood Category for their “Pedestrian Zone Campaign”.

Neighborhood Summit: How to Recruitment and Retain Neighborhood Activists

When: November 11, 2000 (1/2 day)

Where: Warner Park Community & Recreation Center

Panel: Bert Stitt (Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc.), Tia Grahn (Truax Resident Association), and Tim Olsen (Tenny-Lapham Neighborhood Association) provided their experiences in recruiting and retaining leaders. Two breakout sessions focuses on recruitment and retention stories and strategies followed. One of the outcomes of the summit was a list of contacts and resources available to Madison Neighborhoods.

Focus: One-half day session focusing on emerging issues identified by attendees through brainstorming. The City of Madison will better understand what neighborhoods are facing and how we can help neighborhood leaders are prepared and successful in their community work. Six facilitated sessions: Emerging Issues, Sense of Place and Community, Changing Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Association Challenges, Neighborhood Capacity Building & Support, and Development Process.

Attendance: 169

Sponsors: City of Madison and Madison Gas & Electric

Mayor: Dave Cieslewicz

2004

Neighborhood Roundtable: Participating in the Development Process

When: November 20, 2004

Where: Warner Park Community & Recreation Center

Focus: Participating in the Development Process Handbook

Sponsors: City of Madison and Madison Gas & Electric

Mayor: Dave Cieslewicz

2005

2005 Neighborhood Roundtable

When: November 5, 2005

Where: Warner Park Community & Recreation Center

Focus: Prevention, Intervention and Suppression Strategies for Gangs

Presenters: Stepen Blue and Bobby Moore, Neighborhood Intervention Program of Dane County, Det. George Chavez of Madison Police Department, Gladis Benavides, Benavides Enterprises, Inc. and Respectful Dialogue with a Purpose.

Attendance: 140

Sponsors: City of Madison and Madison Gas & Electric

Mayor: Dave Cieslewicz

2006

Building Strong Neighborhoods. Learning from the Past. Looking to the Future Conference

When: November 11, 2006

Where: Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center

Keynote Speaker: Joel Bookman, Director of the New Communities Program and the Great Neighborhood Program for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) of Chicago